Flying
by Vii Zee
Summary: She felt like she was flying, but not the flying she was normally used to. Set after Avengers Academy vs Runaways. Julie and Karolina's first date.


**The 'Staff Room', Avengers Academy**

"But, Doctor Pym-"

"Julie, I cannot allow you to leave school grounds no matter how important it is," Hank sighed as he rubbed at his temples, gesturing at the other staff members beside him. "I'm sure my colleagues agree, yes?"

"Exactly. Lightspeed, you'll just have to do whatever it is you want to do here at the Academy," Greer nodded, smiling gently at Julie as she said the words, hoping to console her.

"Besides, what's at the La Brea Tar Pits that's so important?" Pietro asked from his perch on the table, cocking his head to the side as he asked, smirking as he watched Julie blush.

"Julie, remember our truth policy at the Academy? We feel we should enforce it now," Hank urged as he raised an eyebrow, but Greer put a hand on his shoulder, and turned to Julie.

"I'm sure that it's an important matter to Julie, but like we said, we'd much prefer it if the…event…happened here, alright?"

"Fine," Julie murmured, turning on her heel and walking back to the outside where the rest of her classmates waited.

-0-

**The Football Grounds, Avengers Academy**

"So?"

"They said I have to bring her here," she told Brandon, crossing her arms and huffing as she stalked besides the other fulltime students at the Academy, pouting heavily. "It's not fair. I don't want my first date with Karolina to be under supervision of any kind!"

"I still don't like that you're dating this chick," Jennie muttered from her suit, hands firmly clutched with Ken, looking at the ground as she walked.

"I thought you said you weren't 'phobic," Julie retaliated, and Jennie put up a single finger.

"I'm not, I just don't like her. She's a rainbow-spitting Barbie."

"But Hazmat, that's the best kind!" Humberto joked, grinning at Julie as he winked at her. "You'll be fine, besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

-0-

**The Runaways' Temporary Base under the Golden Gate Bridge, Los Angeles**

"OK so Julie just messaged me. Apparently I have to go to the Mansion myself tomorrow for our date," Karolina muttered as she folded her legs beneath her, sitting on the sofa next to Chase and Nico. "Is it normal to be this nervous?"

"What, you've never dated before?" Chase laughed as he switched through the channels.

"Well, not exactly…"

The two other teenagers turned their heads to her, Chase open-mouthed and staring at her, Nico frowning.

"But I thought…"

"I didn't date before Xavin, and Xavin and I didn't even date, remember? We just got married, or engaged, or whatever. And now she's gone, and-"

"Speaking of Xavin…" Nico murmured, but Karolina stopped her with a raised hand.

"No, Nico, we are not going there. As far as I know and am concerned, Xavin left me here alone. I'm over it now, I owe it to myself to get over her and keep on living. She would have wanted that."

Nico and Chase shared a look before Chase scoffed and switched to the next channel.

"Xavin wasn't exactly the sharing type, you know."

-0-

**The Next Day**

**The Gates, Avengers Academy**

"Go _away_!"

"Oh, come on, Julie, let us wait here with you!"

"No, all of you just leave, now! This is my date, I don't want you all scaring her away."

"Come on, guys, let's go," Jennie mumbled as she grabbed Humberto and Brandon, pulling them back. "Let's leave the two rainbow Barbies be." As she pushed away the rest of her teammates from the gates, she turned to Julie and glared behind her helmet.

"Don't ever say I don't do anything nice for you."

-0-

Karolina arrived alone, having decided to fly the whole way. She kept insisting that it wasn't far, she wasn't tired at all and that as long as there was the sun then she had enough power to do long distances anyways, but Julie kept fretting, making her sit down on a bench because she looked flushed.

Patting her hair down, Karolina 'dimmed her lights' (as she called it) and smiled at Julie, who was staring at her as the rainbow lights surrounding her body disappeared.

"How do you do that so easily?"

"It's a long story," Karolina breezed, shrugging. "Why do you ask?"

"I can't turn off mine, at all. I just have a huge rainbow streak behind me, like some sort of signal to the bad guys. They know I'm coming for them."

"Oh well, long story short, I learned how on an alien planet, when I was en…" she trailed off, frowning slightly. "Sorry, not exactly what you'd want to hear about on a first date."

"Well, I want to know," Julie said, getting off the bench and holding her hand out to Karolina, smiling down at her. "Come on, we'll go to the grounds, it's quiet there."

-0-

**The Training Ground, Avengers Academy**

"Come on!" Julie laughed as she hopped across the same grounds she had flown across with Brandon in tow, looking behind her to check on Karolina, who was swinging from bar to bar and floating across distances as quickly as she could, trying to reach Julie ahead of her. She stumbled as she stepped onto a bar, flailing her arms behind her as she tried to catch her balance, slipping forward and falling onto the dewy grass.

Julie couldn't help herself. She started laughing, sitting down on a metal bar herself and laughing as she failed to notice Karolina lift herself off the floor and launch at her, barreling into Julie full force and toppling her backwards onto the grass.

The two of them ended up rolling right into bushes nearby, emerging with thorns and brambles stuck in their hair and to their clothes, Julie still laughing and Karolina smugly grinning at her.

"That was not fair!" Julie breathed out, sitting up and smiling at Karolina. "I just laughed at you!"

"Well you don't laugh at a girl falling over!" Karolina reprimanded, punching Julie lightly in the shoulder, Julie catching her hand by the wrist as she made to pull away.

"Oh yeah?" And Karolina found herself being pulled forwards, right onto Julie, who was giving her an incredibly smug grin.

"Forward, much?"

"I don't like beating around the bush."

"Are you just trying to be funny?" Karolina asked as she gestured at the bushes near them, and Julie shrugged.

"Is it working?"

Karolina rolled her eyes before leaning forward, placing her forehead against Julie's. Julie closed her eyes, sucking in a breath and holding it in, her body suddenly tensing.

"You OK over there?" Karolina whispered, her voice incredibly near yet far at the same time, and Julie opened her eyes.

"Yeah."

"Good."

-0-

**The Common Room, Avengers Academy**

"Tell us!" Humberto yelled for the tenth time, and Julie smacked him again.

"No."

"Why the hell not?!" Ken asked, yet again for the tenth time, and Julie rolled her eyes behind her magazine.

"Because, and I've said this about nine times already, I do not kiss and tell."

"Will you guys just give it a rest already?" Jennie asked from behind her own book, giving her boyfriend shifty glances as he continued to pester the other girl. "She'll tell us whatever she wants to."

"I do, however, have one question."

Julie looked up at Jeanne, raising an eyebrow. "Go on…"

"Does this now mean that you and Karolina Dean are…in a committed relationship?"

Julie blushed, looking hurriedly back down at the magazine, giving a small mumble.

Brandon laughed, patting her on the shoulder. "Yeah, that's a yes."

-0-

**The Staff Room, Avengers Academy**

"Did you have an inkling of what was going to happen today?" Hank asked Greer as he sat in front of the monitor, play backing the day's security tapes. He paused at the point where Karolina and Julie were sitting behind the bushes, gesturing at it.

Greer shrugged, perched on the desk behind Hank, smiling at the screen. "I think it's cute."

"Answer my question, Greer."

"Oh please, it was obvious from Julie's face that she had a date today! I'm just glad she's found time to actually have a relationship, and with somebody who actually understands what it's like to be a teenager with powers."

"Couldn't she have chosen anybody at this Academy? Make it easier for us all?" Hank sighed, rubbing at his temples.

"You of all people know, Hank, love doesn't work that way. And besides, how _easy_ do you think it'll be for the both of them, being a same sex relationship?"

Hank looked at the ground. "You're right. I hope for her sake this doesn't go public."

-0-

**Julie's Bedroom, Avengers Academy**

"So?"

"So, what?" Julie laughed as she looked up at the ceiling, Brandon lying next to her.

"Is she a good kisser?"

"Yeah."

"Describe it to me?" Brandon asked, and Julie was just about to tell him off when she heard the tone of sincerity in his voice. He was genuinely interested in what happened, cared about her feelings on the matter.

She closed her eyes and smiled.

"Well…"

"_You OK over there?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Good."_

_She kissed her, and Julie felt like she was flying. Not the kind of flying she was used to, this was different. She was floating above the cosmos and looking down at the Earth and knowing she was safe. She felt herself falling back, hitting the grass as Karolina lay on top of her, her mind a million miles away from the dew seeping into her clothes and her hair. She was focused on the feeling of another body pressed up against her, the feeling of Karolina kissing her, focused on kissing her back._

_They pulled away after an eternity, and Julie just found herself staring at Karolina, right into her eyes, her mind still reeling._

"_I…uh…"_

"_First kiss?"_

"_First meaningful one."_

"_How was it?"_

_Julie sat up, connecting her lips to Karolina's again, smiling into it. Karolina cupped the back of her neck, pulling her closer. _

"So you get yourself a girlfriend."

"Yep."

Brandon rose off her bed and smiled at her. "Cool. Good night."

"Good night, Brandon." And with that, Julie rolled over onto her side, closed her eyes and tried to recapture the day in her mind again, feeling the tingling on her lips return, and the flying sensation start up again.

-0-

**The Runaways' Temporary Base under the Golden Gate Bridge, Los Angeles**

"So how did it go?"

"Great!"

"Think you'll see her again?" Nico asked as she pushed a cup of coffee at Karolina over the kitchen table, and Karolina nodded.

"Definitely. She's sweet, I like spending time with her."

"Did you guys…you know?" Chase asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, and Karolina rolled her eyes.

"We kissed, if that's what you mean."

"Nothing else?!" Chase asked, disappointed, and Karolina pointed a finger at him, shaping a finger gun.

"Don't be an ass or I'll blast you through the wall."

He laughed, getting off his chair and walking off with Old Lace, mumbling a good night. Nico looked at Karolina and smiled.

"You happy?"

"Yeah."

"Good. That's all I care about."


End file.
